The marathon was brutal

So, yesterday was the 30th running of the Chicago Marathon.

The weather was absolutely brutal. So much so, that the city decided to cancel the marathon 3.5 hours into it, mainly due to the ill-preparedness of the marathon organizers (they ran out of water & Gatorade). Of the approximately 36,000 people who started the race, approximately 25,000 of those runners completed the race. Those that were running at a slower pace were instructed to walk & also forced to board a bus to make their way to the finish line.

My friend Jen and I were out cheering our friends on, around the 8-mile marker. I had a huge Cookie Monster balloon, to make it easier for the runners to spot us, at a very crowded part of the race. All of our friends running were able to locate us, with the last being Teri & Tyler. It was Teri's first marathon (a mere 2 years after proclaiming, "you have to be clinically insane to think running 26.2 miles would be enjoyable) - they stopped at our location, Teri needed to the phone to contact her mom to alert her to the fact that they were about 30 minutes behind her scheduled pace. Luckily, Jen brought bottled water & we were able to give each one of them a bottle (as the last water/aid station was nearly out of water, they weren't sure what to expect going forward). Teri and Tyler weren't allowed to finish, so I feel awful for Teri - she'll never have a "first marathon experience" again, and this was a crappy way for her to start.

Another friend of mine was interviewed by CBS 2 in Chicago - the video is in the link provided. Don't feel bad laughing that they interviewed him as he was laying on the ground, as he's ok now. At the time, notsomuch. He's one of the first interviews - http://cbs2chicago.com/video/?id=36205@wbbm.dayport.com